Roll-top receptacle.



F. P. McCOLL.

ROLL TOP RECEPTACLE. APPLICATION FILED 1AN 31. 9 10.

Patented Nov. 9,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- IH v www H,

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FRANCIS P. MCCOLI, OF EASTIORT, MAINE, ASSIGNOR T0 AMERICAN KEY CAN COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

ROLL-TOP RECEPTACLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1915.

` Application med January 31, 1910. serial No. 540,956.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS I). MGCOLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eastport, county of VaShingtOn, State of Maine, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in RollTop Receptacles, and declare the followingl to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. A

My invention has for its object to produce a simple and novel roll-top can or receptacle.

As subsidiary to the main object my invention has for a further object the production of a roll-top can having a joint between the roll-top and the can body which will not be injured under the conditions to which it may be subjected during the processing of the contents of the can.

A further object subsidiary to the main object is to produce a roll-top can so formed as to effect a considerable saving of stock over the constructions now in use.

A further subsidiary object of my invention is to provide means for facilitating the breaking of a soldered joint.

The usual form of roll-top can for containing and preserving food commodities is that wherein the cover is soldered to a flange projecting laterally from and surrounding one end of the can body; the cover being provided with a tongue which may be re` ceived in a suitable key whereby, upon turning the key, first the tongue and then the cover itself is rolled up on the key so that the cover may be entirely removed. Most food products must be processed, that is cooked at least partially after they have been placed in the cans and the cans sealed. It will be seen that when heat is applied to such a sealed, filled can, a fluid pressure is created which tends to move the soldered end of the can bodily in the outward direction. This strain imposed upon the soldered end must be borne by the line of solder nearest the interior of the can and, if the pressure be great enough, the solder will yield andthe strain will be transferred to a point a little farther out along the ange. The strain is therefore progressively carried outwardly along the flange as the separation of the cover continues, no aid being given to any portion of the joint by those portions which surround it and the strength of the joint being simply that of an eX- tremely narrow annular ring. Therefore increasing the width of the joint by making the flange upon which the cover is soldered wider does not add proportionately, if at all, to the resisting power of the joint when the cover is subjected to pressure from within. Solders can be made strong enough to withstand processing at low temperatures, but the limits of strength of a soldered joint are soon reached and, where high temperatures are needed, as in the case of meats, a very large percentage of rolltop ends of the character described will yield and produce leaks.

In accordance with my invention I make the joint between the roll-top and the can body in such a manner that resistance to separation while under internal pressure is exerted by the entire joint so that it is not necessary for one portion of the joint to yield before the holding effort of the adjacent portions come into play. To this end I make the roll top in the form of a cupshaped head the sides of which are in the form of a simple narrow flange which is soldered to the interior of the can body. This joint, because of its very capacity for lwithstanding pressure in the interior of the can makes the rolling of the top from the can correspondingly dificult unless some special provision is made for facilitating the disruption of the joints, and I therefore make such special provision.

The various features-of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but for a full understanding of my invention and of its various objects and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l, is a top view of a round can embodying my invention; Fig. 2, is an enlarged section on line 2-2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a side view of the head or cover; Fig. t is a section similar to Fig. 2, on a still larger scale, showing only a fragment of the upper end of the can and cover; Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4L, showing the beginning of tion of the arrow marked X in Fig. 8; F ig.`

11 is a plan view of a can having an inserted key and containing one feature of .my invention; Fig. 12 is a section on line 12-12 of Fig. 11; Fig. 13 is a section on line 13--13 of Fig. 12; and Fig. 14 is a view similar to Fig. 13, showing a further modiication.

In the first seven iigures I have illustrated my invention as applied to a` cylindrical can, the bodyofthe can being in the form of a'cylindrical tube A.l The roll-top consists Aof a head B and a narrow annular flange C which gives to the. top the appear'- ance of a shallow cup.

D is the usual keyreceiving tongue which, in this instance, projects from the free edge ofthe flange. The parts are so proportioned that the flange fits within the end'of the can and are so assembled that the flange is directed outwardly, its outer edge lying approximately flush with the outer edge of the can body. It will be seen that when a key is applied to the tongue so as to roll it up, va substantially longitudinal pull will be exerted upon the joint directly beneath the tongue so that considerable power lmust be exerted before the joint will give way. I have found that if the vertical lflange is made deep enough to insure positively against leakage at the joint under process ing,' it is almost impossible to break the joint by rolling up the top and I have therefore constructed the parts so that the joint offers a minimum resistance to `tearing adjacent to the tongue when the tongue is rolled up on a. key; thus making it possible to breakthe joint at this point and start the rolling of the top. To this end I construct the parts so that the depth of the joint, measured lengthwise of the can, is decreased in any suitable manner adj acentV to the tongue'or other starting means; this being preferably accomplished by making the band of solder narrower at this point than at certain other points. One of the simplest ways of narrowing the soldered joint is by making the flange directly adjacent to the tongue as shallow as possible, as indicated at c, without weakening the joint so as to en danger its tightness at this point under in ternal pressure. I have found that this may be done without in any way endangering the tightness of the joint when the can is subjected to the processing7 operation because the remainder of the flange may be made as deep as desired and so support the portion of the joint adjacent lto the tongue. The greater depth of the flange at points removed from the tongue does not interfere materially with the disrupting ofthe joint during the rolling operation ofthe top since the disruption is comparatively easy after it has once been started. The base of the tongue must he made comparatively wide in all roll-top cans in order to give itv sufli cient strength to start the tearing of the joint initially and, in the arrangement illustrated, the upper portion of the wall of the can body directly beneath the tongue will tend to yield underV pressure and be flat tened slightly so that the pull upon the tongue must overcome the resistance o-f the entire length of that portion of the joint lying under the base of the tongue. This will not only make it diiiicult to start the tearing ofthe oint butl it may result in tearing off the tongue or distorting the parts in such a way thatl iin-rolling of the top becomes impossible.l This objectionable lcondition may be avoided by providing some means which will cause the joint to be broken first at a single point for, after a break has once occurred, the unrolling becomes comparatively easy. I have found that this problem Ymay be solved by making a small laterally Vdirected jog in the flange directly beneath the tongue and preferably, although not necessarily at about the center line of the tongue. This jog may be effected in` various ways, the simplest being to indent the flange slightly as indicated at c ata point beneath the tongue so as to provide a small outwardly extending tooth or projection at this point. llVhen the top is placed in position in the end ofthe can and the soldering is done, the tooth or projection on the top produces a slight indentation in the side of the can as at a.' When the tongue is rolled upon a key the strain first comes upon that portion of the joint klying between the indentations a and c and, by making these small the tearing of the solder at this point will be easily affected. 'The indentation in the side wall ofthe can not only makes it possible to start the tearing of the joint at a point instead of along a line, but it also stiifens the Lipper' end of the canbody in the transverse direction so that the tendency'to flatten when'the pressureis applied upon the tongue is obviated. rIhe feature of reducing the width of the flange at'the point where the breaking of the joint is to begin and the feature of providing the jog in the joint, both have special advantages'andeither may be used under certain conditions without the other making the un-rolling of the top objectionably dillicult. The manner inwhichthe lessening of the depth of the flange occurs may be varied, although it is preferable that the decrease in depth be gradual so that there will be no abrupt step from a narrow portion to a wider one.v In round cans the most difculty in rolling the top is encountered during the first half or third of the operation and therefore the best results willl be obtained by gradually decreasing the depth of the flange from points diametrically opposed to each other or, if desired, a gradual decrease may take place in both directions from a point diametrically opposite the tongue. If desired, mo-re than one jog may be placed' in the joint adjacent to the tongue as well as at other points along the joint. These jogs have an advantage wherever they are placed in that they make it possible for the tearing of the joint to take a new start whenever the points at which the j ogs are located are reached.

The upper edge of the flange is preferably, though not necessarily, provided with a small out-turned fin c2 which is preferably no wider than the thickness of the metal of which the can body is made. This fin serves not only to prevent the top from being forced' too far into the end of the can but also to facilitate the breaking of the joint by providing along the joint a small lateral extension which may easily be disrupted and thus make a start for the disrupting of the main portions of the joint lying directly beneath.

In Figs. S' to l0 I have illustrated my invention as applied to a rectangular can, the tongue E being arranged at one corner of the top o1` cover F. In this instance the flange G decreases gradually in depth as the tongue is approached along the two adjacent sides of the rectangle, as indicated at g. In this arrangement the depth of the flange may be decreased adjacent to each of the other corners as indicated at g in` Fig. 9. The strongest parts of the joints under internal pressure are'those adjacent to the corners and therefore the depth of the joint at these points may be lessened without weakening the joint while at the same time facilitating the unrolling of the top. In this arrangement, as in the other, there may be a slight abrupt jog in the joint at a pointbeneath the tongue as at g2. The flange is illustrated as being indented at a number of other points g3 so as to provide jogs in the joint at these points also. As heretofore stated, these jogs may be placed wherever it is desired to permit thetearing of the joint to take a new start, the locations of these jogs, if any are employed, depending upon-the particular shape of the joint the can.

corners in the cover I prefer, at these points, to make the fin to which I have heretofore referred somewhat wider, as indicated at g4 so a-s to insure against tearing of the flange at these points where the joint is always the strongest.

It will now be seen that I have provided a simple and novel arrangement which permits the joint to lie at right angles to the plane of the joint ordinarily used in rolltop cans, therefore making the joint immeasurably stronger, under internal pressures in the can. By reason of the location of the joint it is unnecessary that its depth be made great beca-use a comparatively narrow flange will provide an ample factor of safety, consequently only a minimum amount of metal is required for the top or cover, all the metal ordinarily used to form the wide laterally projecting flange being saved. Another saving in metal occurs` in the can body itself because of the omission of the usual laterally projecting flange around the mouth of This latter saving is of particular importance in drawn cans wherein the sides and one end are made from a single piece which is pressed and drawn into the proper shape, the saving of metal by the omission of the lateral flange being an amount equal to a band or strip at least a quarter of an inch wide extending circumferentially around the flat piece which is required for the can. It will therefore be seen that I have provided not only a can having a much more effective oint than heretofore employed but also one in which there is a considerable saving of material necessary for its construction. It will also be seen that the 11p-turned flange on the head strengthens it at the edges so that the danger of tearing, which has heretofore been present in all roll-top cans, is entirely avoided. Furthermore, because of the stiffness of the head, the upper edge of the can is caused to be turned outwardly during the operation of removing the cover, thus enlarging the mouth of the can and facilitating the discharge of its contents.

ll`he placing of a jog in the joint is of advantage in another form of roll-top illustrated in Figs. 11 to la: namely a roll-top having an inserted tongue. Referring to these latter figures, H represents the cover or side of a can having therein an elongated slit h. I is a tongue which lies on the outside of the member H and has one end projecting through the slit and soldered to the under side of the member H on one side of the slit. The member H is weakened along a line indicated by the dotted line H leading from the ends of the slit. In this arrangement the key is applied to the tongue and that portion of the member H inclosed within the weakened line and the slit is torn away. It will be seen that whenthe tongue is rolled upon the key, the first break must occur at some point along the soldered joint adjacent to the slit end, if the joint is tight, as it should be, it is very diflicult to break it because the entire joint will offer resistance. Consequently there will be a yielding of the tin around the joint and perhaps a tear will occur at some point other than along the weakened line or along. the joint.

A break in the joint itself may be assuredby providingvtherein a jog similar tothat heretofore described so as to make it possible for the pull of the tongue to be concentrated at one point instead of being distributed along the entire base of the tongue.

This may be accomplished by indenting theV tongue longitudinally as indicated at z', this indentation preferably extending through cover at ,I-IZ, and the inter-locking indenta tions being indicated respectively, at i and h2 f While I have illustrated and described with particularity only certain preferred forms of my invention I do not desire to' be limited to the particular details of construction and arrangement illustrated, but intend to cover all forms and arrangements falling within the terms of thel definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A can having a cup-shaped head fitting in one end thereof with its mouth directed outwardly, the sides of the head being in the form of a iiange engaging closely with the surrounding portion of the can, said flange having at the edge a fin whose width is approximately equal to the thickness of the metal of the body of the can, a layer of solder lying between said fiange and the surrounding portion of the can and forming a narrow annular. joint whose width extends lengthwise of the can, and means for rolling i said head up so as to remove-it from the can.

2. A .can having a cup-shaped head sol# dered into one end thereof with its mouth directed outwardly, the sides of the head being in the form of a flange adapted to fitinto the end of the can, a portion of said fiange being shallower than the remainder, and means for rolling up said head from a point adjacent to the narrow portion of the liange. t A

3. A can having a cup-shaped head soldered into one end thereof with its mouth directed outwardly, the sides of the head being in the form of a fiange adapted to `fit into the end of the can, and means for rolling up said head to remove it from the can, said` fiange decreasing gradually Vin depth adjacent to said means.

t. A can having a cup-shaped head soldered into one end thereof with its mouth directed outwardly, the sides of the head beingin the form of .a-ange adapted to fit into the end of a can, said flange having a laterally extending projection forming a jog in the soldered joint, and means for rolling up said head from a point adjacent to said projection to remove it from the can.v

5. A can having'a cup-shaped head solv dered into one end thereof with its mouth directed outwardly,lthe sides of the head being in the form of a flange shaped to lit into the can, and a tongue projecting from said head. at one side thereof, the side of the can and the flange being indented at a point beneath thejplane of said tongue. f

6. A can having a cup-shaped head soldered into one end thereof with its mouth directed outwardly, the sides ofthe head being inthe form of a flange adapted to vt into the end of the can, said flange having a laterally extending wedge-shaped projection forming a jog in the soldered joint, and means for rolling up .said headfrom a point adjacent to said projection so as to remove it from the can. j

7. A can having a cup-shaped head solderedinto one end thereof with its'mouth directed outwardly, the sides of the'head being in the form of a flange adapted to fit into the end of the can,l and means for rolling up the head to remove it from the can, the flange and the adjacent portion of theV can being abruptly indented at one or more points.:

8. -A can having a cup-shaped head soldered into one end thereof with its mouth directed outwardly, the sides of the head being in the form of a flange adapted to fit into'the end of thecan, and a` tongue projecting from the free edge of the fiange, the flange and the adjacent portion Vof the can being abruptly indented at apoint beneath I the plane of the tongue.

9. A can having a cup-shaped head soldered into one end thereof with its vmouth directed outwardly, the sides of the head being in the form of a flange adapted to fit into the end of the can,.and means for rolling up the head to remove it from the can,

there being an abrupt jog'inV the soldered joint at one or more points. i

10. A can having a cup-shaped head soldered into one end thereof with its mouth directed outwardly, the sides 'of the head being in the form 'of a flangeadapted to fit into `the end of the can, and a tongue projecting from the free edge of the flange, said flange being shallower at one or more points than the remainder of the flange.

ll. In a can, two members soldered together, one of said members having a tongue projecting therefrom adjacent to the soldered joint for disrupting the joint, and there being an abrupt jog in said joint at the base of the projecting portion of the tongue.

12. In a can, two members soldered together, one of said members having a tongue projecting therefrom at the soldered joint for disrupting the same, and one of said members being indented at the point Where said tongue leaves the joint.

18. In a can, two members soldered together, one of said members including a tongue projecting therefrom adjacent to the soldered joint for disrupting the same, both of said members being indented at a point in said oint nearest the base of the projecting portion of the tongue.

14. A can having a cup-shaped head s01- dered into one end thereof with its mouth directed outwardly, the sides of the head being in the form of a flange which fits into and is soldered to 'the interior of the can, the parts being so proportioned that the soldered joint measured lengthwise of the can is narrowed at one or more points, and means for rolling up said head from a point adjacent to a narrow portion of the joint.

l5. A can having a cup-shaped head soldered into one end thereof with its mouth directed outwardly, the sides of the head being in the form of a flange fitting into and soldered to the interior of the can, and a tongue for rolling up said head from one side thereof, the parts being so proportioned and arranged that the joint offers less resistance to disruption adjacent to said tongue upon rolling up the tongue than at certain other points.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS P. MCCOLL.

Witnesses:

WVM. F. FREUDENREIGH, H. S. GAITHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

